Jar cap lifter



June 14, 1955 J. F. WALTERS 2,710,551

JAR CAP LIFTER Filed Oct. 5, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Qfan I %ZZ7$ aaz J. F. WALTERS JAR CAP LIFTER June 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 5. 1953 INVENTOR.

KafihEhQZiers United States Patent* 2,710,551 JAR CAP LIFTER John F. Walters, Battle Creek, Mich. Application October 5, 1953, Serial No. 384,295

7 Claims. (Cl. 813.46)

The present invention deals broadly with opening devices, and in its specific phases with an opener for bottles and jars having pressed-on caps.

Catsup and chili sauce bottles, as well as jars or glasses of commercially packed jams, jellies, cheese, pickles, and the like, are commonly closed with a pressedon cap which is ordinarily difficult to remove, and particularly so without breaking the glass container or damaging the pressed-on cap or cover. So-called Anchor openers are commonly used for this purpose, but bend or otherwise damage the cover member so that it no longer properly fits the glass or jar from which it was removed. This invention, in recognition of the noted problem, is designed to fulfill the need for a convenient and easily operable device for removing the pressed-on metal caps so commonly used on bottles and glass jars for various food products, without damaging the caps or breaking the bottles or glass jars.

The caps used for this purpose are of various diameters and thicknesses, and one object of the invention 18 to provide a cap remover which is self-adjusting to any ordinary cap used for this purpose, regardless of its size.

The device includes a slide-supporting member having a straight lower edge to extend diametrically of the cap, and a slide member on said slide-supporting member, said slide member having a hook below the same to hook under the lower edge of the cap, whereby proper relative angling of the jar and the device will pry the cap loose. The distance which the hook should be below the slide-supporting member depends upon the thickness of the cap to be removed, and a further object of the invention is to take care of the proper adjustment by providing the slide-supporting member and the slide with coacting track means and track-engaging means for vertically moving the slide as required, to correspond with the cap thickness, simply by etfecting relative sliding or? the two members.

The track means is preferably in the form of inclined slots in two side plates of the slide, which plates straddle the slide-supporting member, and the slide-engaging means is in the form of lateral projections on the slide-support-f ing member, said projections being received in said slots; and a further object is to provide a number of simple ways for providing said projections.

Another object of the invention is to provide a capremoving device which may be constructed in either or 1 two forms, one a hand-held device and the other a wallmounted device. When operating the hand-held form of the invention, the jar is held upon a table or the like with one hand while the cap remover is being operated with the other hand. To operate the wall-mounted form,

however, the jar must be angled by hand with respect to the fixedly mounted device and if the jar should be in a tilted position at the time of cap removal, spilling of the jar contents might result. Yet another object, therefore, is to so construct the device that the jar will be:

2,710,551 Patented June 14, 1955 Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the cover removing means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawings and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying out the invention, such disclosed means illus- 'cap remover in use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, partly in elevation. v

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view of the device 'taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.-

I Figures 4 and 5 are detail perspective views showing ditferent ways of providing the slide-supporting member with its track-engaging projections.

Figure 6 is a side elevation, partly in section, showin a wall-mounted form of the invention.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 8 is a perspective view of a bracket which may be used to detachably mount the wall-mounted device.

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view showing the permanent magnet with which the device may be provided. Preferences and some variations of the pressed-on jar cap remover have been shown in the drawings and for clear understanding will be rather specifically described, but it is to be understood that modifications other than those shown may well be made to utilize the principles set forth and be within the scope of the present invention.

In the forms of construction shown in Figures 1 to 5,

inclusive, the slide-supporting member is shown at 10 and the slide member at 11. The member 10 is in the form of an elongated bar having a hand grip 12 at one end, and this member may well be formed from a single strip of metal bent substantially upon itself, the two halves of the strip being suitably secured against each other, except the portions thereof forming the hand grip 12, which are preferably spaced slightly apart to facilitate gripping. The lower edge of the member 10 is straight to extend diametrically upon a cover C to be removed and said edge preferably has blunt teeth 13 to minimize slipping.

The slide member 11 has two side plates 14 connected at their lower edges by a short web 15. These side plates 14 straddle the member 10, and web 15 is downwardly spaced from said member and the front end of said web has a hook 16 to hook under the lower edge of the cover C. The silde plates 14 each have front and rear forwardly declined track slots 17, and the entire slide may be a single metal stamping. Slots 17 are parallel and may vary over a considerable angular range, although for most purposes when member 11 is assembled on member 10 a slot angle of 15 to 30 from the toothed edge 13 of slide support member 10 is satisfactory although 22 /z is the preferred angle for most purposes.

The member 10 is provided with lateral projections received in the track slots 17. In Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, these projections are formed by the ends of pins 18 which extend through and are secured to ears 19 on the upper edge of the member 10. In Figure 4, the pins 20 are spot welded at 21 to the member 10, thus permitting the elimination of cars 19, and the ends of these pins 20 provide the required lateral projections for said member 10. In Figure '5, the projections are formed by lugs 22 integral with a plate 23 which is spot welded at 24 to the member 10.

Regardless of how the lateral projections of the member are formed, they cooperate with the track slots 17 in so connecting the slide member 11 with said member 10 that longitudinal sliding movement of said slide through said lateral projections will be simultaneously accompanied by vertical movement thereof, thus changing the distance between the hook l6 and the toothed edge 13 as may be required, according to the thickness of the cap C.

A convenient way of using the device so far described is to grasp the hand grip l2 and impart a quick, arcuate movement to the entire device as if throwing it. This causes the slide member 11 to slide forwardly and downwardly to the limit. The device is then positioned over the cap C with the hook 16 under the bottom edge of the cap on the jar, and the member 10 is then pushed forwardly. Upon its initial forward movement to the noted position, the member 10 moves the slide member 11 with it until said slide abuts the cap C. The rest of the forward movement of the member 10 raises the slide member 11 relative to member 10 until the latter rests on the cap with the hook 16 engaged with the lower edge of the cap. Then, while holding the jar with one hand, the handle portion 12 of member 10 is swung upwardly with the other hand, thus prying the cover from the jar without damaging said cover. It will thus be seen that the device is self-adjusting to the thickness of the cover and that it is not only self-locking at the required operating position, but its use insure quick and easy cover removal.

In Figures 6 to 9, inclusive, the slide member 11a is of the same general form as the slide member 11 above described. The slide-carrying member 1011, however, is shorter and wider than the above-described member 10 and is adapted for mounting on a wall W or other vertical support. This member 10:: has lateral flanges which may be secured by screws or the like 26 to the wall or the like W to permanently mount the device. However, if detachable mounting should be preferred for this wallmounted form of the device, the slotted bracket 27 of Figure 8 may be conventionally secured to the wall or the like and the flanged end of the member 10a slipped downwardly into said bracket.

The slide member 11a and member 10a are interconnected in the same manner as the members 10 and 11 above described to permit selective adjustment according to the thickness of the bottle or jar cap.

In using the wall-mounted device, the slide member 11 is slid to its foremost position which is also its lowermost position. The jar is then lifted against the lower edge of the member 10a in front of the hook 16a and pushed rearwardly, thereby causing such rearward sliding of the slide 11a as to engage said hook with the under edge of the jar cap. Finally, the jar, with. hook 16a engaged under the edge of the jar cap, is angled forwardly at its bottom, thus prying the cap loose.

It is preferable to upwardly and rearwardly incline the lower edge 13a of the member 10a to such an extent that the jar will be substantially upright when the cap is loosened, thus overcoming danger of spilling any contents from the jar.

If desired, a permanent magnet 28 may be secured to the member 10a to hold the cover against falling when removed. When the member 10a is formed from two separate plates secured side to side, as seen in Figure 7, the magnet 28 may be a very thin bar magnet suitably secured between said plates as illustrated in Figure 9.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that novel features and advantageous construction for the device for removing pressed-on bottle and jar covers have been disclosed for attaining the desired ends, but attention is again invited to the possibility of making modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth. Such directional terms as lower, over, under, upwardly, vertical, horizontal, et cetera, are also to be considered as explanatory and not limiting on the construction illustrated and described.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of those explained, change being made as regards the apparatus herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

1 therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A pressed-on jar cap remover comprising a supporting member having a lower edge to extend diametrically upon a jar cap, a slide member having a hook below said supporting member to book under the lower edge of the cap, and connecting means slidably connecting said slide member with said supporting member, said connecting means including track means on one of said members and track-engaging means on the other of said members, said track means being inclined to cause movement of said hook toward or away from said supporting member as the two members are relatively slid one along the other, thereby moving said hook according to the thickness of the cap.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1; said slide member having side plates straddling said supporting member, said track means comprising slots in said side plates, said track-engaging means comprising lateral projections on said supporting member and received in said slots.

3. A structure as specified in claim 1; said slide member having side plates straddling said supporting member, said track means comprising slots in said side plates, said track-engaging means comprising pins secured to said supporting member and having their ends received in said slots.

4. A structure as specified in claim 1; said slide member having side plates straddling said supporting member, said track means comprising slots in said side plates, said track'engaging means comprising inclined lugs received in said slots and a plate with which said lugs are integral, said plate being secured to said supporting mem- 5. A structure as specified in claim 1; said supporting member having side by side members with sidewise turned flange means at the same end thereof for fixedly mounting same on a wall or other vertical support, and a permanent magnet between said side by side members with the lower edge of the latter being substantially parallel and slightly inclined toward said mounting means to allow the jar to occupy a substantially upright position when the cap has been loosened and held by said magnet.

6. In a pressed-on jar cap remover having a memher for resting on the outer end of said cap and a member having a hook portion for hooking under the edge of said cap, a means for adjustably connecting said two members together, said means including a track means on one of said members and a track-engaging means on the other of said members, said track means being inclined to cause said hook of said member carrying same, when at its outermost position, to move toward said member for resting on said cap when said two members are moved lengthwise of each other, whereby said hook may be moved relative to said member for resting on the outer end of the jar cap so that the space between said hook and said member resting on the outer end of the jar cap corresponds with the thickness of said cap to be removed.

7. In a structure as specified in claim 6; wherein said track means consists of a pair of substantially parallel slots, at least on one side of one of said members, with said slots setting at an angle in the range of approximately 15 to 30 with the edge of said member resting on said cap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,739,457 Harrison Dec. 10, 1929 1,992,322 Nulf et al Feb 26, 1935 2,542,329 Hammond Feb. 20, 1951 

